Здоровье и благополучие родственника больного: только ли генетические риски?

Traditionally, medical attention is focused on condition of an individual suffering from certain pathological conditions and diseases. All the latest advances in modern medicine and related disciplines in the field of diagnosis and treatment are directed at the patient. At the same time, research shows the importance of studying the patient's relatives, taking into account not only the negative impact of a genetic component, but taking into account the negative effects of the patient’s disease factor not only on his own health, but on mental health and psychological well-being of his entourage as well. Paying no attention and leaving the relatives of seriously ill patients without timely assistance has a negative impact on the course of the patient's disease. The example of stroke patients clearly demonstrated that overload of a relative with problems associated with taking care of the patient results in distress increase in the relative and indirectly to the deterioration of the patient’s condition. Both the patient with a serious illness and his relative need psychological care and support. It is possible to consider the help to peer support as influence on the the patient’s social environment within a biopsychosocial paradigm of mental health. Psychological help to the patient’s peer support group can be viewed from the standpoint of preventive priorities in modern health care, when the disease of a relative can become, if not particularly a causative factor, but a trigger of negative psycho-emotional and neurohormonal processes leading to of persistent pathological disorders formation in a patient’s relative. Isn’t it time to introduce a special concept co-disease to expressely denominate an already well-defined medico-psychological problem of psychological disorder in a patient’s relative? Thus, the designated problem may have a better chance for its organizational solution within the existing health care system.